


Peter's Broken Arm

by fairydelight, professional_benaddict



Series: Brother and Sister [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Age Play, Ageplay, Broken Bones, Daddy Tony, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hospitalization, Hurt/Comfort, Injury Recovery, Little Peter, Little Wanda, M/M, Non-Sexual Age Play, Papa Steve, Siblings, Sickfic, Surgery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2020-11-22 22:35:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20881787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairydelight/pseuds/fairydelight, https://archiveofourown.org/users/professional_benaddict/pseuds/professional_benaddict
Summary: Peter falls and hurts his arm at daycare. The injury requires surgery and Daddy Tony, Papa Steve and Little Wanda are worried sick for their little boy. However, Peter doesn't mind much. How can he when he gets a cool blue cast and lots of popsicles?





	1. Chapter 1 - Fix it, Dada.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter is in the ER.

“Where Daddies? Want Da-ddies...” Peter hiccups and sniffles, lifting his good arm to rub the tears from his eyes. 

“They’ll be here soon, sweetheart, I promise. You’re being super brave. You know what? When we get back to daycare, I’m going to put five stickers on your spot. How does that sound?” Maria, the daycare teacher, smiled brightly. Five stickers was a lot, Peter is not going to lie and he has never heard of anyone getting that many in one go, but it hardly comforts him. He just wants his Daddies. 

The boy is laying on a bed in the ER, his left arm resting on top of a pillow and protected in an air-cast that the paramedics put on his broken arm. The cast pinches his skin a bit, but at least his arm does not hurt that much anymore. Maria said that he had ’fallen asleep’ when he fell on the playground and he had panicked quite badly when suddenly waking up in a wailing ambulance.

Within a few minutes, the double doors to the ER slams open and Steve and Tony are rushing in. Steve immediately cups Peters face, while Tony examines the cast. They had promised each other in the car ride over that they would not panic so as not to scare their baby boy, but neither can stand to see their little boy in pain. At the sight of his Daddies finally arriving and rushing over to him, Peter starts crying again and uses his good arm to try and cling to them.

“What happened, sweetheart?” Tony steadies his voice. “Does it hurt? Did you fall?”

“Let’s take it one thing at a time.” Steve says. “We heard you had an accident, honey.”

Maria steps aside a little and starts to explain since Peter seems hardly able to. 

“He fell from the monkey bars and landed on his arm. He also lost consciousness, but I’m not sure if that was due to hitting his head or due to the pain and fright of falling.” She explains, her heart breaking in her chest at seeing the sweetest baby in the daycare get hurt so badly. Naturally, she blames herself for not keeping the baby away from the monkey bars meant for older Littles. 

“Hurts, Dada...” Peter wails to Tony. Even with the IV the paramedics set up and all the painkillers, all the moving still causes him pain.

“Oh, baby, I know. I know it hurts.” Tony feels his heart break and he just wants to reach out and hold Peter and never let go. “It’s okay, we’re here now. I’ve got you. You’re okay, love. The doctor is gonna make sure you feel all better.” He kisses his forehead. “Show Daddy where it hurts.” The fact that Peter lost consciousness freaks Tony out even more, but he is not going to let on, especially since his baby boy is already so distressed.

“Here... Fix it, Dada...” Peter says and points to his left forearm. The area has started swelling a lot and there are bruises that are starting to show up too. 

“The doctor got a quick look at him and upped the pain meds, but then got busy with an emergency. He promised to come back as soon as he could.” Maria says to Steve while Tony comforts Peter. 

“But, this is an emergency!” Steve hisses and looks around the ER to spot a doctor who is not busy. “I’ll go find him myself.” He says and heads off to the reception.

“Steve, keep your head, will ya?” Tony calls after his husband before turning his attention back to Peter. “Oh baby boy. I’m so sorry. You’re gonna be okay. Look what I brought.” He reaches into the bag he had hastily thrown together before leaving, pulling out a stuffed bear and The Book About Moomin, Mymble and Little My. “See? We can cuddle and read stories until you’re all better, sweetheart. How does that sound?”  
He looks up at Maria for just a moment. “Thank you for staying with him.”

“Of course, Tony.” Maria smiles. 

“Pooh...” Peter sighs a little in relief and grabs the stuffie with his good hand, bringing it to his nose to inhale the comforting smell. He relaxes a little and looks at the cover of his favourite book. “Read now?” He asks, sniffling again. 

“Yeah, we’ll read now.” Tony promises and gets the book on his lap to read. 

After a moment, Steve returns looking a bit less wound up. 

“The ER doctor will be here soon.” He reports with a forced smile. 

“Steve, uhm- what about Wanda? She’s still in daycare and we are closing in an hour.” Maria points out and Steve groans out, rubbing at his forehead as he thinks of what to do. 

“Oh God…” Tony tries to think. “I guess I’d better call around and see if we can get a babysitter for her. I think she’ll be too upset if we bring her to the hospital.” Wanda is a sensitive soul and she will definitely be upset to see her beloved little brother in this condition. “She must be terrified. Maybe Vis can take her for a little while. Steve, can you call and ask? We’re gonna read a little story here.” He opens up the book and kisses Peter’s cheek. “Alright baby boy, let’s read your story. Is Pooh going to listen too?”

“Yeah, I’ll call him right away.” Steve says, fishing his phone from his pocket. “Thank you so much for staying with him, Maria. We really appreciate it.” He says quickly before finding a quieter place in the busy ER to call Vis. 

“Feel better, sweetheart! We’ll put up the stickers together when you come back, yeah?” Maria says to Peter. The boy nods and waves with his good hand, then takes Pooh’s hand so that he is waving too while Maria leaves. 

“Read now.” Peter requests, and tries to lay back more comfortably to listen.

Tony has read this story more times than he can count at this point, but right now he realises that he could read it a million times more without getting tired of it. The fear that he felt when he heard Peter had been hurt… Well, he will do just about anything for his little boy right now. He takes it slow and speaks softly, not wanting to bother Peter’s head with anything too loud. When he gets to the end, he closes the book and looks up at Steve worriedly. “Shouldn’t the doctor be here by now?”

“Yeah, I’ll go check.” Steve says before heading off to the reception again. 

“Papa will be right back, baby boy.” Tony tells Peter. “Hey, is Pooh spending time in the hospital too? Maybe he got an owie somewhere, huh?”

“Hmm, here.” Peter says, gesturing to Pooh’s arm. “We go fix? Go home?” He suggests, looking up at Tony hopefully. He does not quite know what they are waiting for anyway and he is getting quite bored and impatient with laying in the bed. It is not as soft and fluffy as at home and everything smells kinda weird. Almost as if it is too clean.

“I know you want to go home, honeybee, but we have to stay here just a little bit longer.” Tony tells him. “So the doctors can take care of you and make your owie better. Then we can go home, okay? I promise.”

“How long?” Peter continues whining, getting a bit restless now and wants to move around. When he moves his arm, he yelps and freezes before wailing, more so out of fright and exhaustion than pain. Tony feels his heart break in two at how Peter’s crying and hugs him as carefully as he can. 

Meanwhile at the reception, Steve waits for the nurse to turn around to face him. 

“Hi, they said the doctor was going to be here soon, but we haven’t seen anyone yet. My little boy is in a lot of pain now and we’d really like for things to start moving soon.” Steve says, trying to not make his voice demanding, but it is hard when his protective side is being tested like this.

“I understand.” The nurse says sympathetically. “But, we have a lot of other patients today. Your little boy might have to wait a few hours. I really am sorry, it’s out of my hands. I know you must want your Little to get better. We could have him transferred to another hospital if you want him looked at faster.”

Damn, why had they not thought of that? Steve must be more stressed than he realises if he is being so dumb and not thinking rationally. 

“Yes, yes, I think we will do that. Could you- could you get us in touch with Greenwood hospital?” When the nurse nods, Steve adds. “Tell them it’s Steve Rogers and we’d like to see Doctor Stephen Strange.”

“Of course. Sit tight and I’ll be back in a few minutes.” The nurse says, then adds with a smile. “By the way, your little boy is very sweet. I met him when he came in.”

“Thanks.” Steve smiles, feeling a bit of the heavy weight slipping from his shoulders. Things seem to be finally moving and someone is being helpful, so he returns to Peter and Tony with a smile. “We’re getting outta here.” Steve says to Tony with a groan and chuckle. 

“Dada, read again.” Peter demands, pointing to the book at the bottom of the bed.

“Okay, we'll read again. I swear, one of these days you'll find a new story to read.” Tony starts from the beginning. Steve pulls out his phone and texts Stephen, knowing it is a good idea to keep in contact with the doctor themselves even if the nurse let him know that they are coming. At least Stephen is not a stranger to Peter. The little boy does not know any of the doctors and nurses here and that had to have been absolutely terrifying for him.

While Tony reads the book for a second time, Peter feels himself sink into the mattress and almost falls asleep, but then things start moving again when a new pair of paramedics show up in the ER. Their uniforms look different and they seem more friendly, but Peter is still sceptical and yelps when he is moved from the bed and onto a gurney.  
The paramedics’ names are Gabby and Stella and Peter shyly introduces himself as well and then points to his arm. 

“Yes, we’ll get you taken care of, little love.” Stella smiles. With Peter in the private ambulance with Steve and the paramedics, Tony follows them in the car and they all head to Greenwood hospital instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you sm for reading!


	2. Chapter 2- Gonna lose my arm?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter is examined at the hospital.

“Look, sweetheart.” Steve points out some of the decorations in the ambulance to Peter. “They have Mickey Mouse, see? And lots of pretty colours. It's a fun ambulance.” He knows that the whole ordeal has to be frightening and wants to try and make Peter as comfortable as possible as long as he cannot be at home. At least this is fun for him in a way, although he would not blame the poor thing if he was still upset. “What else do you see, honeybee? Can you show Papa?”

Peter looks around to try and answer his Papa, but then he meets Gabby the paramedic’s eyes and freaks a little. As nice as the paramedic is, he is starting to get a bit overwhelmed with everything and just wants to go home. He tugs on the straps that keep him in place on the gurney in a sitting position. The side rails are also up and Peter is very much trapped. 

“We go home, Papa?” They are driving after all so they could be on their way home.

“Soon, baby. We're gonna go to see Stephen first. You like Stephen, don't you?” Steve thinks bringing up a familiar name might be helpful. “And he's going to take care of you and make sure that your owie is okay. Then, when he says you can go home, we'll take you and you can cuddle with Daddy and Papa all you want. We're gonna stay with you the whole time, okay?” His heart just aches for his baby boy, knowing how confusing and scary this must be. He really wants to make sure Stephen gets a look at Peter's head more than anything else. “We're almost there. You're being so good for us.”

“Me get pop.” Peter grins a little, knowing Stephen is generous with the sugar-free lollipops that he gives after exams and procedures. 

“Okay, we’re here.” Stella announces from the driver’s seat and parks the ambulance before hopping out to open the double doors in the back. Peter whines a little when the gurney starts moving and clutches Pooh to his chest. 

“Hi, baby!” Tony smiles, having arrived before them and stands waiting with Stephen in front of the ambulance ER entrance. Stephen walks forward to greet Peter too, smiling down at him kindly. 

“Hey there, Peter. I heard you had a little bit of a spill today, hmm?”

“He fell off the monkey bars.” Steve informs. “I know the arm is the most obvious thing, but he also hit his head and blacked out. I'm really worried about that.” 

“Yeah, I read the report from the ER doctor at Central. Don’t worry about that.” The doctor replies. “We'll get you checked out and all better in no time.” Stephen says to Peter reassuringly as they wheel him in. “And your Daddies are going to be here with you the whole time, okay? Do you think you can be a big boy for me?”

“Hi.” Peter replies a little shyly, eyeing Stephen a little. The doctor is familiar of course, but he is wearing different clothes, so Peter studies him with his eyes as he gets wheeled into the hospital. The boy fusses a bit more with the straps again and looks around to try and spot his Daddies to make sure they are still with him. 

“They put Peter as a low priority at Central hospital. Can you believe that? He’s got a headspace of 3 years, he should be top priority.” Tony rants to Stephen a little, taking out his worry and frustration on the doctor.

“I know, I know.” Stephen says soothingly. “Some of these hospitals are overworked and understaffed. It's a good thing you brought him here. He'll be top priority for me, I promise. Can't just ignore my favourite patient. Now since he hit his head I want to get a MRI scan done as soon as possible. I'm gonna need you to keep him calm. You can't cuddle with him when he's in the machine, so he might be scared.”

When Stephen says that Peter is his top priority, Tony feels himself relax considerably. But, then he just tenses up again at the mention of head scans. While Tony and Stephen converse, Steve and a nurse help Peter from the gurney and onto a hospital bed. 

“What about the arm? We didn’t even get to radiology to get x-rays. They just gave him some painkillers and left us.” Tony points out to Stephen.

“Don't worry, we'll get to the arm.” Stephen says calmly. “I’ll arrange for an x-ray right after the head scan. Poor thing, they really shouldn't have left him like that for so long.” The doctor shakes his head, but then goes back to trying to be level headed. That is what Tony needs him to be right now. 

“Yeah, yeah. Okay.” Tony says, having a hard time wrapping his head around everything, but he trusts Stephen. He trusts him with his baby boy. 

After ordering the nurse to arrange an MRI, Stephen addresses Tony again. 

“I’ll do a quick neuro exam and look at his arm. The MRI should be free once I’m done.” The doctor says. Tony nods with a relieved smile. Finally, someone is actually taking care of his baby. 

“You comfy, baby? Maybe we can patch up Pooh once we’ve got you sorted out, hm?” Tony says to Peter, brushing his hair back. Peter looks a little sceptical still and side eyes the nurse who’s fixing his IV. “Hey, is it okay if the nice doctor takes a look at you? He’ll be gentle, right?” Tony says, turning to Stephen.

“Oh, absolutely.” Stephen promises. “I’ll talk you through everything as I'm doing it, okay? And when you're done you can have a little treat.” Peter was right, Stephen has no shortage of lollipops on hand. “Come on, sweetheart. Can you look at my finger?” Stephen requests, moving his finger from side to side, taking note on Peter’s eye movement. Next, he grabs his penlight and is happy to see that the boy’s pupils react normally. 

“Bright…” Peter complains a little, rubbing at his eyes when the doctor pulls back and pockets his penlight. 

“Yeah, I know, bud. You’re being really brave. Now, I need you to tell me your name.” 

“Peter.” 

“Peter…?”

“Peter St-Stark-Rogews.” Peter slurs a little, mirroring the smile that the doctor gives him. 

“And what day is it today?” 

“… Wednesday.” Peter says after some considering. He knows it is Wednesday since they had mashed potatoes at daycare earlier, which they have every Wednesday. 

“Can you sing the alphabet for me?” 

Peter nods a little before singing the alphabet. He makes a few mistakes, but is quick to correct them. Stephen nods with a smile. The doctor asks the boy a few more questions about any pain and discomfort and then gets a quick look at the broken arm. At least the Central’s paramedics did a good job with the temporary air cast. 

“Doctor Strange? MRI three is ready.” A nurse informs and Stephen thanks her before turning to Peter. 

“Okay, Pete, we’re going to go in a room with a magic machine that'll tell me how to make your owie go away.” Opening the locks on the bed’s wheels, he begins to move Peter towards the MRI room, letting Tony hold onto his hand as they go. Steve stays behind to call Vis and hear how Wanda is doing. 

Once in the MRI room, Stephen starts to coax Peter into the scanner. Stephen and Tony will have to leave the room during the scan, so the boy will be all alone. But, there is a speaker and microphone in the scanner, so Peter can hear his Daddy. 

Peter’s breath hitches a little like he is going to cry, but then his eyes fall upon the huge machine. He is so stunned that he forgets to be upset. 

“Is big...” He states a little dumbly, letting Stephen lift him up on the bed. “Owie!” He yelps, then quiets down when Tony moves to support his injured and cast arm to take the weight. 

“You can keep Pooh with you while the machine does its work, okay? But, your Daddy and I will have to go behind that glass over there. There’s a speaker and microphone in there, so you can hear us and talk to us, okay?” Stephen explains, getting Peter into position on the bed and making sure his head is still. 

“It'll be okay, baby boy.” Tony runs a hand through Peter's hair. “Daddy’s gonna be right over there. You're being so, so brave for me right now. I am so proud of you. I just want you to close your eyes and let Stephen figure out how to help you, okay? You're gonna be just fine.” 

“Your Daddy is right.” Stephen agrees. “I'd never do anything to hurt you, Peter. You just hold onto Pooh for me. Do some deep breaths for us.” 

“You hear that, baby?” Tony asks him. “Let’s do some deep breaths.”

Peter whines as he continues to feel overwhelmed. He just wants to go home already, but he does not have much choice but to lay back and hold onto Pooh. Everything just becomes worse when Stephen seems to cage his head in with some sort of hollow helmet. Peter whimpers and tries to turn his head, but finds that he cannot do that. 

“Daddy!”

“It's okay, sweetheart, Daddy’s here. Listen to my voice, baby boy. You're gonna be okay. Shhh, I'm right here.” Tony cannot keep his voice from breaking.

“You're doing great, Peter.” Stephen praises him as he starts up the machine and Peter is moved into the machine. “So, so well. Wait just a minute, you're doing fine.” 

When the machine starts up, Peter is again too stunned to really cry, but he breathes fast and tries to imagine something nice. He tries to think of their summer vacation last year when they had rented a beach house. It was the best vacation ever and Peter and Wanda got to eat ice cream twice a day. But, then the machine makes a loud noise and Peter yelps, but his head is luckily kept still so he does not ruin the image with his panicking. 

“You were such a good boy, sweetheart. So good, Daddy's so proud of you.” Peter hears his Daddy say through the speakers and he calms down a little, but a few tears still escape from his eyes. When he gets wheeled out of the machine and Tony comes into view, Peter finally starts crying properly since seeing his Daddies in the other ER.

With a nod, Stephen gives Tony the okay to pick Peter up and cuddle him. Tony immediately takes him into his arms and sways side to side with him, hoping the movement will soothe him. 

“Shhh, baby, it’s all over now. Daddy's here, Daddy's got you. It's all done. You did such a good job. Shhh, shhh, it’s okay. I'm so proud of you, baby.”

“It's luckily just a mild concussion.” Stephen says, having studied the images while Peter was in the scanner. “We'd better get his arm x-rayed quickly, so that he can have a rest. But, take a minute to calm him down. You did such a good job, Peter.”

Peter continues to cry for a while until his Daddy’s presence and comfort calms him down. But, he continues sniffling and whimpering for a while longer. 

“Go home now.” Peter demands rather than asks. He is really getting sick of this and wants to play with his sister instead.

“I know honey, I know. We'll go home… Soon.” Tony says slowly. He looks at Stephen who shakes his head. 

“He needs to stay here for one night at least for observation, Tony. You and Steve can both stay with him.”

Tony sighs and decides that it is definitely best if he does not put up an argument about it. He instead focuses on comforting Peter. 

“It's okay, sweetheart. Daddy's here. I didn't go anywhere before, right? It's gonna be just the same this time. Just a quick picture of your owie and then you're all done.”

“Wasn’t quick...” Peter argues quietly since the MRI scan took over 5 minutes. But, all the crying and pain is making him exhausted so he simply slumps against Tony. 

At least the x-rays are much faster and less stressful without all the loud noises, but Peter is still a bit impatient and just wants to go home already. But, before he knows it, he is back in Tony’s arms and Stephen is giving him a lollipop.

“I think you’ve earned this.”

Peter accepts the lollipop with a little, tired smile and hands it to his Daddy to unwrap. 

“So, what’s next?” Tony asks, using his teeth to open the wrapping of the lollipop and then hands it to Peter. He apologises quietly when he accidentally bumps into the boy’s hurt arm.

“We need to keep the swelling down with ice. I’m also going to see if the pain medication he was prescribed before is helping, but if it’s not, we need to switch it to something else. I’m going to admit him overnight to keep an eye on the concussion and I want to double check in the morning how he’s doing with eye movement and being alert.” Stephen says, “But, I think for now he needs to be in one of the beds on ward.”

“Yeah, okay.” Tony says, gently swaying Peter in his arms as they head to yet another part of the hospital. But, Stephen leads the way confidently. At this point, Peter is just accepting that things are happening to him, but whines now and then to still let the grown ups know that he is unhappy. 

“I think he definitely needs a quiet place to finally rest. We are long over due a change as well.” Tony remembers suddenly, patting at Peter’s padded bum.

“We have diapers here. I’ll have a nurse bring some.” Stephen says. “There’s a single room available, so he won’t have to be around others. I think you need some quiet time with your Daddies, don’t you?” He pats Peter’s head. “I’ll come check up on you in a little while. His room number is B240. And holler if you need anything. And I do mean anything.” 

“Thanks, Stephen.” Tony says, grateful. “Come on, baby boy. Let’s go.” He sends a quick text to Steve letting him know where to meet them and takes Peter upstairs to the room that he has been given. It is much more quiet and calm here and the Little friendly decor in the private room makes it almost cozy. “Let’s get you changed, huh, baby? That’ll make you feel better.”

“Where Papa?” Peter asks when his Daddy sets him down on the neatly made bed. 

“Papa is coming.” Tony promises. As if on cue, Steve comes in at that exact moment. He immediately goes to hug Peter, taking extra care to be gentle. “Concussion?”

“Yep. We’re here overnight. But, it’s okay. We’re just having a little sleepover, aren’t we? Peter, Daddy, Papa, and Pooh Bear.” Tony says. “Here, let me change him first and then I think he’d like some cuddles.”

Concussion, that is a very grown up word and Peter has no idea what it means. But, his Daddies sound worried and he guesses that it is about him. 

“Dada?” Peter asks quietly. “Gonna lose my arm? Doesn’t work, Papa.” He adds, trying to flex his fingers on his hurt arm, but can barely do so before he cries in pain.

“Oh, sweetheart!” Steve exclaims. “Of course not. Your arm just has an owie and it’s not gonna work the same for a while, okay? That’s why we’re here though, to make sure you get better. You can have your friends at daycare sign your cast.”

“But- Maria say no write on friends. Only paper.” Peter explains, frowning at the idea of someone writing on his skin. Maybe this weird place is getting to his Daddies’ heads. When Tony has got Peter on the bed comfortably, there is a knock on the door and a cute male nurse enters with some supplies in hand. 

“Hi, I’m Thomas. You guys must be Peter’s Daddies? Doctor Strange sent me to get you guys all set up here.” He says, extending his hand to shake Tony and Steve’s. He then turns to Peter. “Hi, little one. The doctor tells me that you’ve been super duper brave today.”

“He sure has.” Steve says proudly. “He’s been a very brave little boy, but I think he needs to rest now. I’m definitely glad to see you. Thank you for dropping by, we’d like to settle him in as fast as possible if we’re spending the night.”

“Can you say hi, honeybee?” Tony asks Peter. “Say hi to the nurse. He brought lots of nice things for us.”

Peter looks at Tony with a pout, then gives Thomas a stare and decides that he does not want to speak to the nurse and cuddles Pooh instead. The nurse is hardly offended and laughs lightly. 

“That’s all right. He’s had a long day for sure. So, I won’t bother you for long, but I just wanted to show you where to find the changing supplies.” The nurse says, then heads to the bathroom and shows the cupboard with diapers and pull-ups and everything else needed for changes. “I also have some ID bands for you guys while you stay here. You Daddies get each one too.” He says, handing Steve and Tony their ID bands.

“Thank you.” Steve shows Peter the ID band he now has on his wrist. “See that, baby? We all match.”

“For once. We all know I have a better sense of style than you.” Tony jokes, laughing when Steve playfully swat his arm. “Thanks again, Thomas. I guess we’ll be needing this for the night.” He grabs a diaper and some other supplies so he can change Peter. He goes slowly, not wanting to accidentally hurt his head or his arm.

“You’re very welcome. Would you mind getting your boy undressed? We want all the little patients here in gowns. I’ll take care of the t-shirt.” Thomas says, fixing an ID band on Peter’s good hand and then takes out a pair of scissors from his pocket. 

“Nu uh.” Peter says with a shake of his head. 

“He might cooperate if you hold his hand.” The nurse says.

“Good idea. Look, sweetie.” Steve takes Peter’s hand and squeezes very gently. “Papa’s right here. Just focus on me for now, all right? You’re okay, baby.”

“Wanna go home.” Peter whimpers, then falls still in a bit of panic when Thomas starts cutting his t-shirt up. He frowns at that, not having a clue of what to think. He wants to be angry, because his frog shirt was just ruined, but his Daddies are not upset? This place keeps getting weirder and weirder. 

“There we go.” Thomas announces as he gets the clothing off of Peter completely without hurting his arm. “Put this one on him once you’ve changed him then.” The nurse says and gestures to the gown that he put at the bottom of the bed.

“Okay. You see that, Peter? You get to wear a cool dress from the hospital.” Tony says encouragingly. As soon as his little boy is changed he gets him into the hospital gown and settles him back into bed.

Before leaving the little family to it, Thomas informs them that Stephen will be back soon with a treatment plan once he has consulted the ortho on call. While he gets changed, Peter relaxes a little at the familiar routine and at finally having a quiet moment with his Daddies. The gown is pretty cute with puppies on it, but it smells too clean and scratches his skin a bit. 

“Are you hungry, honeybee? We should get you something to eat.” Tony says, getting one of the extra pillows so that Peter’s hurt arm can be propped up a bit comfortably. 

“Hmm. Bottle?”

“I’ll get it.” Steve says, standing up. “What do you want, baby? Water or juice? And I guess we’d better figure out what to do with Wanda if we’re going to be gone for the night.” 

“Juice.” Peter decides, trying to get comfy on the new bed with Pooh. 

“Maybe one of us should go home. Vis is nice enough, but Wanda might freak.” Tony points out.

“That or she’ll be thrilled to be around her one true love.” Steve says with a fond roll of his eyes. “I’ll call and see. Maybe Peter can say hi to her too and that might make him feel better. Seeing another familiar face.”

“Wan’a! Wan’a!” Peter shrieks gleefully at the mention of his sister. He sits up in bed and moves his bad arm, yelping in pain and then wailing. The painkillers are starting to wear off. Just then, Stephen enters the room and grimaces at the sound of Peter’s wailing. 

“What’s going on here?” The doctor asks the caregivers calmly.

“He just got a bit excited over talking to his sister and moved his arm.” Tony winces, trying to sooth Peter. The doctor hums thoughtfully and looks at the boy’s chart. 

“It’s been a while since he got pain relief at Central, so it must have worn off now. I’ll give him another dose or something a bit stronger. He really looks overtired and in need of a rest.” Stephen says as he goes to fix a dose of morphine in a syringe. He then injects it into the saline bag hanging up on a pole by the boy’s bed before connecting the tubing to the IV in the boy’s hand. Or at least tries to. 

“Nu uh! Wanna go home, Dada! Papa!” Peter continues to wail and squirm around, which only makes his pain worse. He tries to get away from Stephen, but he can hardly get far, so he plops down on the bed and kicks his legs since he can’t throw his arms around.

Tony gets on the bed next to Peter and pulls him into a hug. 

“Shhh, sweetheart. It’s okay, you’re okay. We’re gonna go home as soon as Stephen says you can. He just wants you to feel all better. How about we read some stories? Does that sound okay, honey?”

Peter continues to fight for a bit longer and even hits Tony’s chest lightly, but then he settles a little and continues to whimper. He is so exhausted and frustrated that Stephen even adds another drug that will sooth his anxiety. While Tony calms Peter, Steve goes to fix the juice bottle as promised.

“You’re so brave, bud! You’re the best patient by far.” Stephen praises once the boy falls still, which allows the doctor to attach the tubing to the IV. But, Peter is not really listening and is only interested in moping and being sad. At least the pain disappears fairly quickly now that he is getting a steady drip with morphine. 

“You're such a good boy, Peter!” Tony praises him. “We're so proud of you. What do you want to do now, honeybee? You can rest or read stories or colour. Whichever one you want. We'll be right here with you.”

“Nap.” Peter decides fairly quickly and goes to lay down. It is odd to say the least, not only considering it is past 6 pm, but also that Peter never asks for naps. Stephen agrees in an instant. 

“That sounds like a good plan, Petey. You just nap and I’ll talk to your Daddies, all right?” He says and gestures for the Daddies to follow him out into the hall.

“Good idea.” Steve agrees. He and Tony both kiss Peter goodnight and make sure to tuck some of the blankets around him. It is not as warm and cozy and familiar as his room at home, but it is definitely better than the ER where they were before. Quietly, they file out after Stephen, making sure to leave the door slightly open before turning to the doctor to hear what he has to say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you sm for reading! Comments are very much appreciated c:


	3. Chapter 3 - What's your favourite colour?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Steve try to break the news about the surgery to Peter.

“Well? What do you think?” Steve asks. 

“I talked to the ortho on call and he wants to realign the bone surgically to ensure that there’s no long term damage. It’s quite a standard procedure, we get Littles with injuries like these all the time.” Stephen explains, seeing the worry and panic of the two Daddies’ faces. “There’s a spot in the OR tomorrow morning.” He adds.

Steve's heart just drops. He knows that Stephen is only telling them what they need to hear, but the thought of putting his little boy through anymore pain is just killing him. He has no idea on how to tell Peter that he will have to go through surgery. 

“How long does it take?” Tony's voice shakes while he speaks. “Do you have to put him under? Do you have to-“ 

Steve puts a hand on his arm. 

“Let's just...take a deep breath for a second.”

“Without any complications, it takes an hour or two. And yes, he’ll be put under general anaesthesia, so he won’t feel anything nor remember anything when he wakes up.” Stephen explains calmly, paying close attention to how the Daddies seem to handle the news. “With Littles as young as Peter, we put them to sleep just using the gas, so it is painless and once they are asleep, we’ll prepare them. Peter won’t even know what hit him.” He smiles a little.

“He’ll be so scared.” Tony turns to glance back at the room where his little boy is lying there all alone. But, he and Steve both know that the sooner they go through with this, the better the outcome for Peter. “Okay. Tomorrow morning. Are you gonna want him to stay an extra few nights after the surgery?”

“That depends on how the surgery goes. If all goes well and his head is okay, he might be able to go home tomorrow night.” Stephen replies. “The ortho will perform the surgery and you’ll meet him tomorrow so you can ask him questions, but I’ll be with Peter the whole time while he is awake and then help him come around to from the anaesthesia afterwards.”

“Okay.” Steve takes a deep breath. “Should we tell him he’s going to have to have surgery? We should. It wouldn’t be fair to leave him in the dark. I just don’t want him to be afraid. Christ, he’s gonna… He’s gonna freak, isn’t he?”

If anyone is freaking out, then it is always the caregivers and not usually the Littles. 

“If we break it to him the right way, then from my experience, it all goes quite smoothly. We’ll of course give him medication to help him settle before the surgery.” Stephen explains, and then adds. “But, if you guys freak, he will definitely freak. He needs you guys to be there for him.” The doctor stresses.

“You’re right. We need to chill out.” Tony says, taking a deep breath. He thinks to figure out how to talk to Peter about this and reminds himself to stay calm. “Deep breaths.”

“That’s true.” Steve admits.

“Thomas will drop by again with dinner for Peter. You can ask him so more questions if you need.” Stephen says and heads off to let the family talk some things through. 

“Lets go check on him.” Steve says and Tony follows with a nod. Returning to the private room, they head over to Peter. “Hey, baby boy. Are you sleepy?”

When he hears Steve speaks, Peter opens his eyes and rubs at them with his good hand. The pain medication has kicked in properly, making him a little drowsy, but comfortable.

“Papa…”

“Hey honey. Papa’s here.” Steve whispers. “How about we have some cuddles together and talk about tomorrow? Stephen is going to make sure you’re feeling better and that means we’re gonna stay just a bit longer before we go home. Then you’ll feel better, okay?”

“Is not owie... Is okay.” Peter explains, gesturing to his arm, but that is only due to the painkillers. “Don’t wanna be- here.”

“I know it feels better now, honey, but the doctors know what's best.” Tony explains. “I'm so sorry, baby boy. I know you wanna go home. I promise that Daddy and Papa are gonna be here with you the whole time and you'll be all better before you know it.”

Peter huffs a little and fiddles with Pooh while he tries to process everything. Even after many moments of thinking, he still cannot make sense of it. Either way, his head is working slower than normal and he can hardly have one thought before it vanishes and another pops up. Peter is about to whine for his Daddies, even though they are right next to him and stroking his hair, but then there is a knock at the door and Thomas enters with a tray in hand. 

“How’s it going here?” The nurse asks with a smile.

“We're okay.” Tony says. “But, I think we might be staying here just a little bit longer than we expected. I sure am glad we have everything we need here.” All except the reassurance that Peter needs that everything will be okay. He cannot help it of course. He is just a little boy and of course he will want to go home instead of having surgery. “I think he's gonna take a little nap here.” 

“Yeah, you’ve had a long day I bet.” Thomas says to Peter, and this time the boy feels up to meeting the nurse’s eyes and nods a little in response. Thomas smiles widely back and brings over a table and sets the tray down so that it is in front of Peter. “Do you like mac and cheese, bud? I got a sippy cup of milk for you here too.” He says. Peter feels his mouth water at the sight of the food and his hunger suddenly hits him. He points to the spoon and looks up at Tony. 

“Ai’plane?”

Tony breathes a sigh of relief. At least food might be a good temporary distraction. 

“We can do airplane, sweetheart. Open up, it's gonna land! Here it comes!” He always makes the plane noises and loves to see Peter laugh when he does. The boy’s giggle is high pitched and utterly adorable. He opens his mouth, turning his head in sync to Tony’s hand motions while he teases the landing. Once the spoon is in his mouth, Peter wraps his lips around it and chews happily. Thomas chuckles softly at the sight before turning to Steve. 

“Do you have any questions for me? I know the doctor spoke to you a while ago, but some more might have popped up since.”

“Stephen told us that he's going to have to have surgery.” Steve says, lowering his voice a little. “I guess I do have some more questions. Is he going to be in pain afterwards? When can he go to daycare again? How long do you think he'll have to be here? It's not that things aren't really nice, but he wants to go home.”

“There will be some pain since it’s surgery, but it can easily be managed with pain relief. He might have to stay overnight tomorrow as well if the doctor thinks that is necessary.” The nurse explains a little quietly. Peter is quite distracted with how Tony is feeding him, but Thomas still keeps his voice down. “As for daycare, you’ll have to see when he feels up for it, but we do recommend that he should be on mostly bedrest for a week following the surgery.”

“I'd rather not take any chances to be honest with you.” Steve admits. “He plays at daycare with other Littles and you know how that can go. Probably better to keep him at home and resting for a while.”

“Yeah, yeah, we know.” Thomas chuckles a little. “But, that’s why we put casts on and it will protect his arm while it heals. I think the doctor will want him to use a sling as well, so then he won’t use the arm as much either.” He explains. 

“Oh, God… I’d better call our babysitter and see if he can keep our girl for another night. I just… I can't leave him right now.” Steve turns to look at Peter and even if the boy looks content in the moment, Steve still feels his heart break a little bit. He needs him.

“Oh, what age range is your girl in?” Thomas asks. 

“She's about five, but sometimes she acts younger. She's just good at filling her big sister role. We left her with a babysitter for the night, but we'll see if he takes her for another. Maybe we can see if she can video chat with Peter later on too.” He thinks that would definitely cheer Peter up.

“Yeah, I think that sounds like a good idea.” Thomas says, smiling at how Steve’s eyes seem to light up at the mention of his little girl. “Have you told him about the surgery?” The nurse asks, gesturing to Peter with his eyes.

“Not… Not really.” Steve admits. “I just told him he’d have to stay a little longer. I just didn’t want to upset him. I don’t know how to tell him. I guess it’s like ripping off a band aid.”

“Yup, we do a lot of that here.” Thomas winces a little. “Do you want me to help out? Littles tend to be more afraid if they don’t know what to expect.” He points out.  
Meanwhile, Peter has made his way half through his portion and is now having some of his milk. Tony helps him out by holding the bottle for him.

“Yeah, that would be great, actually.” Steve smiles at Tony and Peter, the two of them holding hands while Tony praises him for how well he is doing, how brave he is. “Someone who can explain it to him might help a lot. Tony?” He steps forward. “Thomas wants to talk to Peter really quick.”

“Hey, bud. How’s your dinner? Is it yummy or super yummy?” Thomas says cheerfully, coming over and lowers the bedrail to sit at Peter’s side. 

“Super yummy.” Peter reports, smiling a little shyly when Thomas gasps in response. 

“Super yummy, huh? That’s great. I’m almost jealous over here.” 

“Mine.” Peter pouts a little, leaning over to be closer to his food. Thomas chuckles and nods. 

“It’s all yours, bud. Now, I’d like us to talk a bit and then you can continue with your super yummy dinner, all right?”

Tony strokes Peter’s hair to keep him calm. 

“Baby, can you look at Thomas for me so he can talk to you? He’s gonna tell you all about how you’re going to get better here.”

Peter whines a little in protest when Tony takes his food away a bit, but then he notices the seriousness in the room and looks at the nurse. He does not look scary and he has got a little teddy bear in his breast pocket, so he must be nice. 

“So, you’re here because of your hurt arm, right? Well, tomorrow, like super early in the morning, we’re gonna get that fixed. I’ll come here with doctor Stephen and we’ll take a look at your arm and get you all ready to go upstairs. Up there, magic happens...” Thomas says a little dramatically. Peter widens his eyes in interest. 

“Magic?”

“It's like a special magic that doctors do.” Steve tells him. “They work really hard and then they make you feel better. They don't have a wand, but they do know how to make owies go away. And they know how to make it so you're not so scared when they help you.”

When his Papa starts explaining, Peter turns his focus that way. Things are starting to make sense now. At least in a way. 

“Gonna fix?” The boy asks the nurse to be sure. 

“We’re gonna fix your arm, yeah, and then we’ll put a cast on it. It’s super hard and you can pick which colour you want it to be. What’s your favourite colour?” Peter hardly needs to consider his options before he answers. 

“Blue.” 

“Blue, that’s a really cool choice. We’ll absolutely get you a blue cast.” Thomas confirms.

“And you know what else is cool, sweetheart? You can write on your cast! You could get your friends at daycare to sign it and you can draw pictures on it too. Doesn't that sound neat?” Tony keeps his tone upbeat. “All we have to do is stay just a little longer and then you'll have your blue cast and feel all better.”

After a bit of consideration, Peter nods at his Daddies. 

“Okay.” 

“You’re so brave, bud.” Thomas smiles and pulls out a lollipop from his pocket, offering it to Peter. “Here, you can have this after you’ve finished your dinner, yeah? I’ll see you tomorrow morning.” The nurse says and then stands up from the bed, putting the rail back up. “Then, if you guys don’t have any more questions...” The nurse says, looking at the two Daddies.

“We'll let you know.” Steve says gratefully. “Thank you so much, Thomas. It's really appreciated.” He actually does not know how they would have calmed Peter down without the nurse there.

“All right. I’ll be on call all night, so just head down the hall to find me or another nurse at the station. Bye, Peter!” The nurse says before heading out. Peter waves at him. 

“Bye bye!” When Tony picks up another spoonful of food, Peter opens up eagerly. 

“Peter, do you wanna finish up dinner and rest a little bit? Maybe we can call Wanda and see how she’s doing?” Steve asks, sitting on Peter’s other side while Tony continues to feed him. 

“See Wan’a.” The boy mumbles with his mouth still full.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you sm for reading! Comments are very much appreciated c:


	4. Chapter 4 - Go night night now?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter is prepped and put to sleep for surgery

Steve and Tony wake up in the morning bleary eyed and worried about what the day will bring. Both of the backs hurt from sleeping in the reading chairs in the room, but thankfully Peter is comfy in his bed and fast asleep still. After tidying themselves up a bit, Steve and Tony go to wake up Peter so he can have some time to prepare for the surgery. Steve runs his fingers through the boy’s hair and hums softly to him. 

“Baby… Time to wake up, baby boy.”

Peter stirs a little, but does not want to open his eyes. His head hurts and so does his arm. 

“Papa...” He whimpers, kicking his legs a little under the blanket. A moment later, both Stephen and Thomas enter the room with easy going smiles on their faces. 

“Morning, guys.” Thomas greets.

“Good morning.” Steve says cheerfully, giving him a bright smile. He is definitely relieved to see Thomas and Stephen already. “We're getting ready. I'm just going to change him first and then we can do whatever you need us to do.”

“Yeah, you guys go ahead and we’ll get some medication sorted out.” Stephen says, heading to the medication and supply cart in the room and starts getting things ready with Thomas. 

While he gets changed, Peter continues to doze a little with Pooh tucked in his arm. But, the boy cannot rest for long as Stephen and Thomas start to talk in complicated terms that he does not understand. 

“Bottle, Dada?” Peter asks quietly, still trying to process everything going on in the room all of a sudden. Peaking out of the window, he can see that the sun is barely up. This place is just so weird. 

“The magic doesn’t work if you eat, you see.” Thomas says to Peter, coming over with a little cup of medicine. It looks like cough syrup and Peter cringes. “I’ll pinch your nose so you can’t taste it, okay?” The nurse says and before Peter can really answer, his nostrils are pinched shut and he opens his mouth of reflex. Tipping the cup over into Peter’s mouth, the nurse closes the boy’s mouth and waits till he swallows before letting go. Peter coughs and shudders at the after taste and pouts hard at the nurse for tricking him.

“Good job, Peter!” Tony praises him rubbing circles on his back in slow, soothing motions. “Thank you for being so good. We’re really proud of you.” 

“That’s going to help you, baby boy” Steve promises. “I promise you’re gonna be okay. You don’t have to do anything, just relax and listen to the grownups today, okay? And afterwards we can go get you something new to play with.”

“New toy?” Peter perks up. The best thing in the whole world is when they go to the toy store and he and Wanda get to pick out a toy each. Coming over with more medication, Stephen sets up the IV bags and injects something into the bag.

“Yep, I promise. We'll go to the store and get you something new to play with. You definitely deserve it, sweetheart.” Tony smiles. “And how about next time we have movie night, you get to pick the movie?”

“Ponyo!” Peter shrieks. He always suggests that movie and his family is getting quite sick of it, but they try not to show it. 

“That’s a good one.” Thomas muses while he continues to help Stephen with getting everything ready. 

“Is da best!” Peter giggles.

“Ponyo it is.” Steve agrees. He has definitely seen it one too many times, but he will watch it again if it makes Peter happy, especially after this. “Good choice, honeybee. Are you all ready to take a little nap so they can fix you up?”

“We’re gonna take you upstairs now where the magic happens.” Stephen says. “We’re gonna fix your arm and put a blue cast on in.” He adds.

Happy before, Peter suddenly starts to worry. He glances back at his Daddies and reaches up for Tony with his good arm. 

“Stay?” He does not want to be without them, even if there is going to be magic involved. Uncertain of they can come with Peter, both of the Daddies turn to the doctor for an answer. Stephen smiles and pats Peter’s shoulder. 

“Your Daddies can come with you on the ride upstairs, but then we gotta say bye bye to them for a little while, okay? You’ll see them super soon, I promise.”

Peter's lower lip trembles. He clutches to Tony's hand and whispers. 

“Want Daddy.”

“I know, baby. I know you want Daddy.” Tony soothes. “We’ll be right outside waiting for you. You won't even notice, okay? We're not going anywhere.”

Peter looks back at Stephen. He knows he is supposed to be a big boy and he cannot stop himself from crying. But, he will go. 

“Okay. Brave.”

“Super brave.” Steve adds, leaning over to kiss Peter’s forehead. 

“Then let’s roll.” Stephen says to Thomas and together they open the locks on the bed and start gently wheeling Peter out of the room and to the elevator at the end of the hall. 

“How cool isn’t this, huh? Rolling around in bed and not having to get up at all.” Steve points out to Peter while he walks next to him, his hand held out for the boy to hold onto.

“Wheels. Is fast, Papa. Round.” Peter uses his other hand to make circle motions. He has been learning his shapes in daycare, and he is very proud to show them off. “Circle is round.” He points down to one of the tiles on the floor, meaning to say ‘square’, but gets it all mixed up. “Tri-triangle.” 

“You're getting close, bud.” Tony laughs. 

“Pre OP meds are kicking in it seems.” Stephen comments to Thomas quietly. The nurse chuckles and nods before pausing by the elevator and pushes the button. Just a few seconds later it arrives and they all get in and ride up to the fourth floor, which is the surgical floor.

“Yeah, he's babbling. Sleepy baby.” Steve says affectionately. “You'll feel better soon.” Peter notices when they get off the elevator and his eyes widen a little bit. 

“Magic? Where's magic?” He mostly expected to see sparkles, unicorns and knights in shining armour. Maybe some wizards too.

“You’ll see soon, buddy.” Stephen chuckles and wheels the bed down the hall till they reach a double door that reads ’staff only’. He then stops and turns to the Daddies. “This is it.” 

Nodding a little sadly, Tony leans over the bed to cup Peter’s cheeks and kisses his forehead once and then twice. 

“I love you so so much, baby, and I’ll see you as soon as the magic is over, yeah? Be brave for Dada.”

Peter reaches up for him, sniffling a little bit. 

“Love you, Dada. Love Papa.” He cannot help but start crying a little bit as the medicine really starts to kick in and he is rolled through the large double doors. He cries out for them, but he suddenly feels so sleepy and heavy that it comes out as just a whisper.

Tony and Steve wave after Peter till they cannot see him anymore and then embrace each other in a hug. 

“Our little baby...” Tony says quietly and Steve nods in agreement. “He’ll be okay, he’ll be okay.” Steve comforts. 

Behind the double doors, Stephen and Thomas bring Peter to pre OP and wheel the bed onto a little ward that works as a waiting room for the ORs. 

“You look sleepy, Petey. You ready for a nap?” Stephen asks, rubbing at Peter’s cheeks to provide some comfort.

Peter nods. A nap does sound good and he feels a little better with Stephen there comforting him. He closes his eyes and whispers. 

“Sleepy. Go night night now. Papa n' Dada… Outside.” The whole world is becoming a little hazier now. He barely has the energy left to cry anymore. “Stephen, m' tired.”

“I know, I know, but we can’t fall asleep just yet, okay? Try and stay awake for me for a bit longer.” Stephen coaxes and continues to rub at Peter’s cheek to try and keep him more or less alert. 

“Can you lift your head for me, bud?” Thomas asks, coming over with a cap to put on Peter’s head. The boy nods and lifts his head up so Thomas can put the cap on. He reaches up to touch it curiously. He wonders why he needs to have something on his head when they are inside and it is not rainy or snowing. 

“Hat?"

“Yeah, it’s like a hat. You look very handsome.” Thomas smiles. The OR is almost ready, so Stephen and Thomas also start suiting up in surgical caps and masks, but before putting on the masks, they come over to Peter to show some options. 

“The magic doesn’t work unless we wear masks. Which should Thomas and I have? You can pick.” Stephen says to Peter.

Peter gets excited at the opportunity to pick the masks. They have pretty colours with his favourite characters on them. He picks one out with puppies and points to it, motioning for Stephen to look. 

“Pups! Pick that one.”

“Puppies, great choice.” Stephen smiles and takes the puppy one for himself. “Should Thomas get the same one?” He asks, gesturing to the nurse. Peter considers, but shakes his head. He wants to pick a new one. 

“Thomas get...” The boy thinks. “Dinos!” Dinosaurs are the second best thing next to puppies, he thinks.

“Yay! I love dinos.” Thomas grins, taking the mask with the dino pattern. Both the doctor and nurse put the masks on and then wash their hands before putting on gloves. A moment later, one of the double doors open and a scrubs nurse comes out. 

“We’re ready, Strange.” 

“Okay, here we go, buddy.” Stephen says, wheeling the bed in. Peter jerks around, suddenly worrying. 

“Daddy? Papa?” The boy knows they are not there, but that does not stop him from wishing they were. He settles down a little when he sees the cool masks Stephen and Thomas have though. “Oh, pretty.”

“You’ll see your Daddies soon, buddy.” Stephen comforts while they wheel Peter’s bed up to the padded procedure table. “Hi, everyone. This is Peter.” Stephen introduces for Peter the two other nurses in the room. They are masked and ready as well, but give the boy a friendly smile and wave still. Peter waves back and points to his arm. 

“Fell down. Magic makes all better. Right?” He wants them all to think he can be a brave boy too. “Daddy and Papa is outside. I get magic.”

“Yeah, they know and they are here to help you.” Thomas says and goes around lowering the rails on the bed so that they can lift Peter onto the procedure table. “We all make magic happen here.” He adds in a whisper and a wink to Peter. 

“Okay, let’s move over here now. Can you hold onto your owie arm, Peter?” Stephen says, demonstrating how he wants Peter to hold his injured arm to his chest. Peter holds his arm to his chest, but cries out in pain when he moves it. Even though it was stabilised, it still hurts. 

“Ow! Feels bad. Right here.” He points to where it hurts the most. He hopes that the magic will make it feel better soon. “Kiss better, Stephen?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t kiss it better with the mask on. But, we’ll get you fixed up very soon.” Stephen comforts and lifts Peter up onto the procedure table carefully. With Thomas’ help, he gets Peter to lie down comfortably. “And Thomas tells me you want a blue cast on your arm, is that right?” Stephen asks, stroking Peter’s cheek while he looks down at the boy.

“Yeah! Blue. Like sky.” Peter points upwards, even though they cannot see the sky from the hospital room. “And like…sea." There are so many colours to choose from, but he definitely thinks blue might just be his favourite. At least it is right now. “Dada says… Says colour on it.” He adds, remembering what Tony said about how his friends at daycare could sign his cast.

“Yeah, you can draw and write on it. I bet your sister would love that.” Stephen smiles behind the mask. “Okay, we’re gonna start now, Petey, and for the magic to work, we need to fall asleep. And we’re gonna get help from a mask like this to have nice dreams.” Stephen explains, showing the clear anaesthesia mask to Peter so that hopefully he will not be scared of it.

Peter likes nice dreams. He examines the mask and nods, feeling a little more comfortable that he gets to see it. 

“Go night night now?” It is not dark out, so he figures it must be like his nap-time. “And good dreams?” He hopes that when he wakes up he can see his Daddies and sister again. Maybe he will feel all better.

“Yup, it’s time to sleep now and the mask will help with that. Let’s try it.” Stephen says, lowering the mask to Peter’s face, but not pressing it on him yet. “You’ll have really nice dreams and then you’ll see your Daddies.” He adds reassuringly while he strokes the boy’s cheek with his gloved hand.

“D’eams…” Peter slurs, blinking slowly as he tries to keep his gaze fixed on Stephen. 

“Good boy, deep breaths now.” Stephen instructs when Peter doesn’t seem to freak due to the mask and presses it to his face properly. Gently, the doctor tilts the boy’s head back so that his airways are clear.

Peter closes his eyes, suddenly feeling himself start to grow sleepier and sleepier by the moment. He mumbles out something incomprehensible before his body goes slack and he drifts off completely.

“Petey? You with me?” Stephen asks after a moment and runs a finger around Peter’s eyes. When he gets no twitching in response, Stephen addresses the rest of the surgical team. “He’s under, so we can begin now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you sm for reading!


	5. Chapter 5 - You were so brave.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wanda gets to see Peter after his surgery.

Wanda has been struggling with having her brother gone and the fact that she gets to be around Vis is the only thing that has been consoling her a little bit. She got to make a pretty card for her brother at least. On the car ride over to the hospital she stays quiet, holding it in her lap. 

“Hope he likes it.”

“I think he’ll adore it.” Vis says easily. It is a stunning card after all. It has been a pleasure babysitting Wanda for over a day now, but Vis noticed that he could not do it much longer because Wanda was truly getting impatient with her questions about her family, and her brother in particular. Vis knows that Peter is in surgery as they speak, but he has not told that to Wanda. He will let Steve and Tony do that. 

After parking the car at the hospital, Vis goes around and opens the car-door for the little girl. 

“Okay, let’s see if we can find your Daddies in this huge place.”

Wanda looks around the hospital, eyes wide. After walking in, she gets down on her hands and knees to look under a table in the waiting room, wondering if Peter will be there. Before she can do any real damage however, Tony walks into the lobby and goes to tap her on the shoulder. Wanda turns and throws her arms around him. 

“Daddy! I missed you, Daddy!”

“Hi, princess! I’ve missed you too!” Tony laughs and wraps his arms around his little girl and then hauls her up and onto his hip. “Did you have a good time with Uncle Vis?” He asks, rubbing her back before extending his hand in a greeting to the other man. 

“Good to see you, Tony.” Vis replies with a smile, but it is a little tight with worry.

“It’s good to see you too. Thank you so much for taking her.” Tony sighs. “We were just so freaked out yesterday and now they’re… Well, doing a procedure and they think he’ll be okay, but it’s still so much for him to handle.” He smiles at Wanda. “I hope she behaved for you.”

“Of course, it was the least I could do. And Wanda’s been great. I’ve been keeping her busy. But, what did the doctors say? Steve said something about a concussion on the phone too.” Vis says worriedly.

“He hit his head and broke his arm. They observed him overnight for any complications and he went into surgery early this morning.” Tony explains. “It’s the concussion I’m worried about the most, honestly. I know how to take care of a Little with a hurt arm, but head injuries can be…. Unpredictable, I guess. I’ve just been so damn worried.” He pauses to rub his forehead. “He was being so brave, but I know he was scared.”

Vis frowns softly at what Tony is saying, his heart aching in his chest for the whole family, but Peter most of all. 

“I’m sure the doctors will give you some tips on how to help Peter once he is discharged. And if you ever need help, then I’m just a phone call away.” He offers with a smile, patting Tony’s shoulder to comfort him.

“Thank you. You should come by sometime, I’m sure he’d love to see you.” Tony offers. “I’m going to stay home with him for a little while after this. They don’t want him playing in daycare again just yet, and I’m glad about that to tell you the truth. Wanda, did you say thank you to Vis for taking care of you?” 

Wanda nods and rests her head on Tony’s shoulder. 

“Thank you. Love you, Vis. Peter now?”

“Yeah, yeah. Text me once Peter’s awake and let me know how it went.” Vis says and reaches over to brush Wanda’s hair back. “Love you too, pumpkin. I’ll see you soon, yeah? Bye now.” He says and heads off with a smile and wave. 

“Yeah, we’ll go see Papa. What have you been doing with Vis, then?” Tony asks, bouncing Wanda in his arms as he heads up to Peter’s room where Steve is waiting.

“Made a picture so Peter feels betters.” Wanda shows him. She used his favourite colours blue and purple and added lots of sparkles. “And played princess. And saw Frozen. I’m Elsa. Peter’s princess too.”

“You’re so sweet and considerate, princess.” Tony praises with a grin. After a quick ride up the elevator, Tony walks down the hall to Peter’s room and for a second he gets a mix of panic and relief at seeing Stephen in Peter’s room talking to Steve. “What’s going on? How’s Peter? Is he okay?” Tony blurts out.

“He’s okay.” Stephen assures Tony. “The surgery went fine, but we do want to see him back to make sure there are no complications. You can go in and see him now if you want. He was excellent, very brave and good.”

“Oh, thank God.” Tony sighs heavily and sets Wanda down so that she can run over to Steve to greet him. “Wanda’s been super good for Vis and she made a brilliant card for her hurt brother.” Tony adds, smiling at how Wanda squeals when Steve picks her up.

“Good, I was worried about that.” Steve says. Wanda tends to act out when she thinks someone she cares about is hurt. “Do you wanna go see your brother, sweetheart? He's hurt, so we have to be very gentle and quiet, okay?”

“Okay, Daddy. Go see him now.” Wanda nods. Steve motions for Tony to come as they follow Stephen to recovery. The doctor pushes one of the double doors open and lets the family in. 

Peter is still recovering from the last bit of the anaesthesia and he has got a simple oxygen mask on to help while he dozes. His arm is now in a blue cast and propped up on a pillow. 

“Petey, your family’s here. You feel like saying hi to them?” Stephen asks, tapping the boy’s shoulder to get him more alert. Peter cracks his eyes open a bit, but his gaze is not really focused. 

“Dada? Papa…”

“Hey, sweetheart…” Tony whispers, stroking the boy’s cheek with a finger. “It's okay, you're awake now. It's all over. We're here. You feel better, love?” He keeps his voice low so as not to startle Peter and tries to coax him out of his sleep by using gentle touches. “You were such a good boy, we're so proud of you. We're all here to see you now.”

“Hmm, was so sleepy...” Peter mumbles, his voice slightly slurry due to all the drugs. The oxygen mask also muffles his voice a bit. The boy blinks lazily, but when he spots his sister in Steve’s arms, he grins a little and seems to perk up. “Hiiii...” He says, waving a bit with his good hand. Stephen smiles softly and starts checking Peter’s vitals while the family catch up a little.

Wanda squirms a little in Steve's arms, wanting to just cuddle with her brother. 

“Peter, I did picture for you.”  
“Yeah, she made a card for you.” Steve says. “And you know what? You're going to get to go pick out a new toy to play with when we leave. Remember how I told you that? And we're all gonna watch Ponyo together.” 

Peter smiles widely at that and nods a little. 

“Ponyo.” He parrots, also very much liking the idea of getting to pick out a new toy, but right now what he wants most is to cuddle with Wanda. “Cu’le?” He asks, pointing to his sister. To be honest, Steve is not too keen on the idea since he is afraid that Wanda will accidentally hurt Peter and holds the girl a little tighter. 

“How about we let the little man rest, yeah? Right, doctor?” Steve asks Stephen. Wanda frowns and taps on Steve's shoulder. 

“Give kisses. Get better kisses, Papa.” 

“Hold on, hon.” Stephen agrees with Steve. “You'll have plenty of time to cuddle with your brother soon, but you need to let him rest and you need to be very gentle with him. No playing and running around while he's getting better, okay?” The doctor then turns to his patient with a smile. “Okay, little man. How are you feeling? Can you give me a thumbs up or thumbs down?”

Peter considers for a bit. He feels a bit sick to his stomach and his arm feels weird and numb in a way, but he is not hurting. He gives the doctor a thumbs up with his good hand. Tony and Steve watch a little anxiously as Stephen assess Peter’s condition. 

“He’s doing well and he seems alert, so I think we can bring him back to his room. I'm still going to be keeping a close eye on him, though.” Stephen says to the two Daddies before turning back to Peter. “I know that you're a little uncomfortable right now, sweetheart. You're gonna feel better soon, I promise. Thomas, you want to help me take him back?”

“Okay.” Peter nods and suddenly remembers that Pooh is still in his room. He really misses his best friend. At the mention of his name, Thomas pops his head up from where he was sat at the nurses’ station in the recovery room and heads over. 

“Sure thing. His vitals look good, but a bit groggy stil.” The nurse chuckles a little, rubbing at Peter’s foot under the covers before grabbing the end of the bed to wheel it down the hall to the patient rooms.

Steve and Tony follow them, anxious to get to spend some alone time with Peter. When Stephen and Thomas finally get him into his private room, Tony grabs Pooh and lays him right next to Peter. 

“There you go, sweetheart.” 

“Pooh.” Peter smiles and cuddles up to the stuffie as much as he can without moving his bad arm. The boy whines a little when the doctor and nurse start fussing over him again, but he sighs in relief when Thomas takes the oxygen mask off. Wanda watches in fascination as Stephen and Thomas set everything up, including the monitors and IV bags. The monitor reminds Wanda of a TV, but it only has weird lines on it and a bunch of numbers that do not make any sense to her. 

“I'll let you guys catch up for now. I'll be back later on to check how he's doing. Call me if you need anything.” Stephen says before he files out quietly with Thomas. Once the family is alone, Tony moves to sit next to Peter and kisses his forehead. 

“You were so brave, baby bear.” 

When Tony praises him again, the boy cannot help but wonder what he did that was so brave. He just had a weird nap and then woke up to Stephen smiling down at him. His arm is a bit of a bummer though, with the cast being so heavy and stiff. 

“Was brave...” Peter parrots. 

“Yeah, you sure were. And now you get to rest and do whatever you want while you get better.” Steve promises him. “Are you still sleepy, honey? If you need to keep on sleeping you can. You did have a very exciting morning.”

“Night night?” Peter asks, a bit confused again over how many naps he Is having in one day. But, he does feel quite tired and he Is so comfy in his bed with Pooh. “Wan’a night night too?” He asks, wondering if Wanda Is gonna have a nap too. Steve finally relents. 

“She can lie down next to you but-” He gives Wanda a serious look. “You be very careful, young lady. Understand?” 

“Snuggle now.” Wanda nods. Steve sets her down next to Peter and lets her curl up on her side, facing him. The girl reaches out to touch her brother’s uninjured arm, repeating what her Daddies always say when they are sick or hurt. “I'm here now. Is okay.”

Peter smiles and sighs in relief when Steve lets Wanda join him on the bed. He closes his eyes, finally feeling content and comfortable. 

“Night night.” Peter whispers before promptly falling asleep. Tony smiles softly and brushes Peter’s hair back before planting another kiss on his forehead. 

“You gonna nap too, princess?” He asks Wanda quietly. The girl shakes her head no, even though she is tired. She did not sleep the night before because she was so worried. 

“I gotta watch him.”

“You can rest.” Steve reassures her. “We’ll keep an eye on him. Right, Tony?”

“Of course. You just rest your eyes for a bit, sweetheart.” Tony smiles. “Dada and I are knights, remember? We’ll watch over you and your brother.”

Wanda closes her eyes and whispers. 

“Okay. Just a little.”

“That’s it, hon, just a little.” Steve says. “You’re both gonna be just fine.” He leans down and gives Peter a quick kiss, then Wanda. “We love you two so much.”

“Sleep tight, my loves.” Tony says, leaning over to give both his Littles a kiss after Steve. After a few moments, both the Littles are promptly asleep, breathing and snoring softly. “Babe?” Tony asks quietly, looking up at Steve after watching the siblings sleep for a while.

“Yeah?” Steve smiles at him at first, then furrows his brow. “What’s wrong?” He wonders if Tony noticed something off with Peter that he missed. “Is everything okay?” He also tries to whisper so as not to wake them up.

“Nothing like that, don’t worry.” Tony smiles and makes a hand gesture to show that there is no need to worry. “I just- Do you think this was the worst of it? You know- the actual surgery or are we really in for it when we bring him home?”

“Honestly, yes. He’s still on the drugs right now. Recovery is always the worst. One of us is gonna have to stay home with him. At least Wanda can go to daycare, but he’s gonna need a lot of help. Poor thing.” Steve shakes his head. “Let’s just hope he’s not in too much pain.”

“Yeah, he’s definitely not going anywhere for a while. I just fear he is going to get bored and frustrated. Like, with laying in bed all day and resting while his sister is off doing normal stuff.” Tony ponders. When Peter whimpers a little in his sleep, he turns to look and see if he is truly distressed, but the boy seems to settle and continues to sleep.

“I'll try to keep her occupied, so he doesn't have to see much of her playing.” Steve suggests. “We should try to plan some activities that he can do from home or in bed. I'll go out and buy some new colouring books for him and maybe some new stories to read. I'll ask him what he wants.”

“Yeah, that sounds really good. Stephen probably has some suggestions for us as well, since he does this all day.” Tony chuckles a little, then sighs and sinks down in the chair he is sat in. “I’m just so glad he is all right.” He adds quietly.

“Me too. I was so scared when they told us he hit his head, I...” Steve trails off. “Sorry. I just hate seeing him in pain. But, he’s so little and sometimes I know there’s nothing I can do to stop the hurt.”

“Hey, hey.” Tony says, coming over to Steve to cup his cheeks. “He’s all right now and he’ll be just fine, just like the doctor told us. We’re not bad caregivers, we’re not.” He adds, perhaps more for himself than his husband. He has been having some awful thoughts about how he has failed to protect Peter ever since they got the phone call from Maria at daycare.

“I know.” Steve relaxes a little at the comfort from his husband. “I know we love him and do our best, and that’s all we can do. Sometimes it just feels like it’s not enough. I know that’s not true, I just worry about keeping him safe.”

“I know, I know.” Tony says, not knowing what else to say and leans over to kiss his husband sweetly. Their kiss lingers for a bit, their lips just lightly touching before Tony gives one more peck and pulls back to meet Steve’s eyes again. “He’ll be all right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you sm for reading!


	6. Chapter 6 - Where is your sling?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peter recovers and rests at home with his family.

A few days later, Tony finds himself going back and forth between lying down with Peter to comfort him and getting him whatever else he needs. He is so proud of the boy for being so good, but he knows how hard it is. Right now, Tony is getting him a bottle to try calming him down.

While his Dada is getting him a bottle, Peter pushes himself up into a sitting position after some struggle. He is sat in his bed with everything he needs close. He has got Pooh, a few books on his nightstand, a bottle of juice mixed with some water and his pain medication that he was prescribed by Stephen to deal with the pain after the surgery. Peter looks down at his cast arm, which is tucked up to his chest in a sling. He really hates the thing, because it makes him so wobbly on his feet and limits his movements so much. He cannot even play with duplo legos properly. 

When Tony returns, he opens the door to Peter’s room and whispers. 

“How’re you doing, honey?”

“Wanna play...” Peter frowns, then whimpers tiredly.

“I know you wanna play, I know. You'll be well enough to play again soon, but I really just want you to rest and be careful with your arm right now.” Tony says softly. “Can you drink a little bit of water for me, baby? I don't want you to get thirsty. We can read a story if you want, would that make you feel better? Any story you like.”

“Papa n’ Wan’a?” Peter asks, opening his mouth for his Dada to let him have a drink. With one arm in a cast, Peter finds it really hard to drink from bottles when he cannot hold them with both hands.

“Wanda's having her nap right now. You can see her when she's done, but she can't run around and play with you until you're better, okay? Let's stick to some quiet games. You two could try to do a puzzle together.” He suggests. “Or you could colour.”

Okay, fair enough, Peter thinks. He feels more at ease now knowing his sister is close by and what she is up to. But, what about Papa? He pulls back from the bottle to speak. 

“Papa where? Papa colour too.” Peter looks at Tony demandingly, wanting an answer and for Steve to show up very soon.

“Papa’s at work, sweetheart. He’ll be back soon. He’s gonna go to the store and get popsicles for you.” Tony promises. “He’ll colour with you too, I promise. What do you want to colour, baby?”

Peter nods at the promise of popsicles. He has been getting a couple a day while he has been recovering from the surgery since he has lost some of his appetite since it. Besides, they are treats so Peter will see how far he can push it and get them daily. At the mention of colouring, Peter suddenly remembers something. 

“Colour here?” He asks, pointing to his cast.

“Sure, sweetheart! That’s a great idea.” Tony agrees. “Do you want me to sign it for you? Or draw some pretty hearts?” He is glad that Peter can take the cast and make it a somewhat fun and positive thing even though he is in pain.

“Hmm.” Peter nods and lifts his good arm to be picked up. “Pwetty hearts. Go now, Dada, giddy up.” He says, patting at his Daddy’s upper arm. Tony scoops him up easily and kisses his cheek. 

“I guess I’m a horse today, huh? I’ll carry you where you need to go. And I guess we should go find some markers and crayons.” He carries Peter to the living room and pulls out their colouring supplies. 

To get access to the cast, they have to take the sling off and Peter sighs a little in relief when he can work his shoulder. It’s nice to get the weight off the sore arm, but it can get stiff at times as well. Before discharging Peter, Stephen had given the two Daddies a bunch of advice on what to do during their boy’s recovery and working his arm gently daily was one of them. Tony carefully writes on Peter’s cast ‘Daddy Loves You’ with a heart next to it. 

“There. Your first signature.” Tony says, capping the marker. “How’s your arm, honey?” He asks, touching Peter’s fingers lightly. “Is it feeling okay? I think you look like you’re healing pretty well. I bet Stephen will be happy.”

“Is okay.” Peter reports and flexes his fingers gently. He brings his arm to his chest again and traces his Daddy’s handwriting on his cast. “I like Stephen. He nice and- and kind.” The boy says with a little smile.

“Yeah, he is,” Tony smiles and agrees. “I’m glad you like him. I know he thinks you’re a very good and very brave little boy. He was very proud of you, you know that? We all were so proud of you. You’ve been so good through all of this.”

Peter blushes a little at all the praise and looks shyly up at his Daddy before lowering his gaze to his cast again. 

“Am brave?” He asks, just to be sure his Daddy is telling the truth. Tony strokes the boy’s hair and whispers.

“You are so, so brave and good. I love you so much. I want you to know that, honey. You’re the bravest little thing in the world.”

Peter smiles shyly at that and slips down from his seat to pad over to his Daddy, flopping over his lap and hugs him as much as he can with his cast arm. 

“Love Dada too.” He whispers.

“I love you too.” Tony whispers, hugging him close. They stay there like that for a good few minutes until Wanda comes in with a blanket tightly wrapped around herself and her lips pursed together until she sees her brother. 

“Wanna play?”

By the time Wanda joins them, Peter has got another pretty signature by his Daddy on his arm. Even though he is hurting a bit, he feels all right with all the praise he has got. 

“Wan’a! Play, play! Dolls? Dolls!” He shrieks gleefully and bounces where he is sat on Tony’s lap.Tony shushes the boy and gently holds him still. 

“I know, I know you wanna play. But, you’ve gotta be careful, okay, beautiful? I just don’t want you to get hurt again.” He pats Peter’s arm. “If you play with dolls, you have to keep being a good patient okay?”

“Hmm, promise.” Peter says, although he does not mean it entirely. He bounces again to try and get to Wanda, but he does not get away till Tony has put his sling back on. Once he is free, Peter pads over to his sister and gives her a one-armed hug. “Missed you.”

Wanda gives him a quick kiss on the cheek. 

“Missed you too. What doll you want? I want… Lissa.” She alternates between favourite dolls often, and today it is Lissa. “Princess.”

“I want... Elsa!” Peter says, which is the princess he always chooses. The two Littles head upstairs to play, leaving behind the mess of crayons and markers on the dinner table for Tony to clean up. 

A few hours later, Steve arrives home with groceries and heads right to the kitchen to put the popsicles in the freezer before they melt. 

“Tony?”

“Hey.” Tony kisses his husband hello and starts to put the groceries away. “You have a good day? Peter’s doing well, but I’m worried he might play too rough and hurt the arm again. We’ll have to keep an eye on him.”

“You’re a mother hen, babe.” Steve chuckles, patting Tony’s ass teasingly while passing him in the kitchen. “He’s got the sling and he’s careful anyway, isn’t he? Pete’s not one to play rough normally, right?” He argues.

“No, but you know that Littles can get excited. And that they’re breakable. And that I’m a mother hen and most definitely worrying too much.” Tony rolls his eyes in spite of himself. “But, I’ll worry about him anyway. One of us has to be the freak out person around here, right? And it has to be me. I can’t be the calm one.”

“Right, right.” Steve says a little sarcastically, not buying what Tony is saying. He grabs his partner to make him face him. “Babe, he’ll be just fine. Littles sometimes have accidents, but they always recover. Our little boy will be okay. Worrying this much can only do him harm. You get like- all tense and set too many limits for him. He still needs to play and have fun.”

Tony sighs, then meets Steve’s eyes. His first instinct is to argue, but he knows his husband is right. 

“I know. God, who made you so smart? I’d probably freak out and keep them safe inside forever if I could. I just… want to take care of him. But, you’re right.” He offers Steve a smile. “Taking care of him means letting him play too.”

“You can always call Stephen if you need some advice you know? And I can stay home tomorrow and look after him so you get a break.” Steve suggests when he sees that Tony is stressed and overthinking stuff. He brings his husband into a hug and rubs his back.

“I do think you spending some time with him would be good.” Tony agrees. “Thank you, Steve. They’re upstairs, by the way. Playing with dolls, last I heard. I think it’s a wedding or a prom or something.”

“Of course, babe.” Steve smiles and gives Tony one last kiss before heading upstairs. “Oh, I do love a wedding.” He muses as he walks up the stairs. In Wanda’s room, Peter perks up at the sound of Steve walking up the stairs and looks at the door to wait for his Papa to appear. When he does, he stands up and pads over with his good arm stretched out. 

“Papa!”

“Hey, honey!” Steve sweeps Peter up into his arms and settles him on his hip. “I heard you guys were playing together. Are the dolls going on exciting adventures today?”  
Wanda stays where she is and shakes her head. 

“Party.”

“Party, Papa.” Peter corrects as well, giving a cheeky grin as he kicks his leg back and forth. “Pop?” He asks, remembering what Tony said about Steve bringing popsicles.

“I brought your popsicles, that’s right. Do you want to try one? We can go down and have one now if you want.” Steve says. “Then dinner and a bath.”

“Hm! Wanda, pop!” Peter says, waving at his sister to get her attention. 

“Come on, princess. Let’s have a pop. You seem a bit quiet today. You okay, baby?” Steve asks, holding his hand out to help Wanda up from the floor.

“Yes.” Wanda says quietly, grabbing the blanket to wrap it around herself. The truth is that she had an accident during her nap, but she is not about to tell him that. “I wanna sign Peter’s cast. You too. We can put rainbows on it.”

“Yeah, we’ll all go downstairs and sign it. I saw that you guys left the markers by the dinner table.” Steve says, taking Wanda’s hand to bring both the Littles downstairs. Steve sets Peter down and then pulls out a chair for Wanda too. “Can you put your blankie aside and then we’ll colour together?” Steve asks kindly.

Wanda shakes her head. 

“I… need it. And I didn’t draw Peter’s pictures yet!” She grabs a marker and leans over to doodle on his cast. She is not a good writer, but she knows her name and writes ‘Luv Wanda’ on his cast. “See? Now you, Daddy.”

“Okay, let’s see.” Steve says, looking for a marker that will show on the blue cast. He grabs a dark red marker and draws a little monkey on it which is surrounded by hearts. “There you go, love. It’s looking real pretty already.” He says and Peter grins. He knows that he will have to go back to daycare next week and he really wants to show his friends his cool cast.

“I bet Darcy will make nice pictures.” Wanda says, slurring and stammering with her words a little bit, as she often does. “At daycare. She’s a good drawer, Peter.”

“Darcy.” Peter parrots, smiling as he thinks of one of his friends at daycare. Well, Darcy is more Wanda’s friend, but the little boy gets to tag along to their cool games now and then. Steve supervises the two Littles for a while as they draw till he notices a weird smell. His first thought is to check the baby in the room. “Pete, did you go potty in your pull-up?” He asks, but Peter shakes his head in reply without lifting his head up from his scribbles.

Wanda stiffens and bites her lip. Her first thought is to run away and hide, but she cannot think of a good spot where they would not find her, so instead she bursts into tears. 

“I’m sorry, Daddy, I’m sorry!”

“Hey, hey, it’s all right.” Steve says in an instant, coming over to Wanda. Peter drops his crayon and looks at his sister with wide eyes. Before he can get upset too, Tony comes in and scoops the boy up into his arms, bringing him to the kitchen. “What’s going on, princess?” Steve asks gently, moving the chair Wanda is sat on so that they can face each other and crouches down in front of her.

Wanda sniffles and tries to compose herself. She is supposed to be a princess, a little lady. She sits up straight and through her tears she whispers. 

“Had an accident. I didn’t mean to.” Sometimes it just happens and she does not quite know what to do about it.

Oh God, third time in one month, Steve thinks to himself. Perhaps it is time for them to bring Wanda to see Stephen too. 

“Oh, that’s all right, princess. Accidents happen sometimes, even when we don’t mean to. That’s why we call them accidents.” Steve says and helps Wanda up from the chair. The girl rubs her eyes with her fists. 

“I forgot. Keep forgetting!” She stamps her foot in frustration. “It’s hard.”

“Yeah, it’s a bit hard sometimes.” Steve says and guides Wanda to the bathroom. Once there, he begins to undress the girl and puts her leggings, undies and blanket in the bathtub to be rinsed off. “Can you go potty for me, princess?” He asks, pointing to the toilet.

The girl nods, still crying, but not as hysterically as before. She thinks of Peter who is hurt and needs her to look after him and how she is such a mess. The worst big sister ever. 

“Peter...n-needs me. Told him I’d draw for him.” She had promised.

“What you mean, love?” Steve asks, filling the bathtub with some lukewarm water to rinse the clothes and blanket. He glances over at the girl sat on the toilet, swinging her feet back and forth.

“When we played he said for me to put more pictures on his cast.” She explains. “I gotta go put more pictures for him. Gotta be a big sister.”

“We’ll do that in just a moment, darling. I’m sure your brother would love for you to draw on his cast.” Steve says, not quite understanding Wanda’s inner conflict. He lets the clothes soak for a while and comes over to Wanda. “Princess, I think you should put on a pull-up for a while. Just to be safe, okay? You don’t have to use it, but I want you to have it still.” He says, trying to be gentle, but also a bit firm to get the girl to obey.

Wanda’s cheeks turn pink and she opens her mouth to argue. But, Papa is being so nice and understanding and she does not want to push it. 

“Okay, but… secret. Gotta be a secret.” She puts a finger to her lips, then to his. “Okay, Papa? And then… go play with Peter.” She is eager to get back to her brother.

When Wanda puts her finger to his lips, Steve kisses it sweetly before answering. 

“Yes, this is just our secret.” Well, he will tell Tony about it once the Littles are out of earshot. “And then we’ll go find your brother. Which design do you want?” He asks, going over to the cupboard where they keep the paddings. Most of it is Peter’s and has light blue and purple galaxy designs. But, they also have a few princess themed ones when Peter wants to wear those and for the times Wanda needs some just-in-case padding too.

“Princess!” Princesses make everything better, even when she is crying and hates herself. “I want princess, Papa. Ariel. She’s a mermaid. In the water. Splashing.” She waves her hand to demonstrate. Suddenly she gets an idea. “Papa? Can we swim?” She loves going to the pool with Peter. 

Picking up the pale pink pull-up, Steve comes over to help Wanda clean up. He has got some wet wipes as well and begins cleaning around Wanda’s privates and the top of her thighs. “The pool’s super fun, yeah, but I’m afraid your brother can’t swim with the cast on. We could go just the two of us though. Or would you rather wait for Pete?”

“Wait.” She says immediately. It is much more fun with him, and she does not want him to feel left out. “‘Cause then we can splash and do mermaids and stuff. And go under the water. But not, because it’s scary.” She is rambling now. “Papa, gotta question.”

“Yeah, then we’ll wait.” Steve smiles, taking a fresh wipe for one last clean before helping Wanda step into the princess pull-up. “Hm, what is it, princess?” He asks, patting the girl’s padded bum.

“M’scared.” Wanda whispers. “Cus if I have accidents maybe a prince won't marry me. Can I still have a prince, Papa? Can I?”

“Oh, baby girl, of course you can!” Steve says easily, smiling up at the girl where he is crouched down in front of her. “Accidents are no fun, I totally get that. But, Daddy and I are here to help, so you should always come tell us when it happens, okay? Then we can help you and you’ll find your prince.” He says confidently.

Wanda throws her arms around him in a hug, feeling her heart overflow. She knows right them that she has the best Papa in the world and that she is luckier than any other little girl ever. 

“I love you, Papa. Promise you won't tell Vis?” That would be one thing she cannot ever see herself getting past. “Or Peter.” He needs her to be big and take care of him, at least that is what she thinks.

“I love you too, sweetheart.” Steve says back, chuckling softly at how eagerly the girl threw her arms around him. “And I won’t tell anyone. This is our secret.” He says, emphasising his point by zipping his lips shut. “Can you be a brave girl now and find some new leggings to wear in your closet? Then I’ll fix these and come join you.” He says, gesturing to the clothes in the bathtub. He will have to get them washed right away to save them.

“Okay.” Wanda agrees. She darts into her room to go find something to wear and picks out her purple leggings with candy corn and black cats on them, thinking of Halloween. She manages to get dressed, albeit struggling a little bit, then grabs one of her plastic magic wands. Maybe Peter will want to play Cinderella and she can be a fairy godmother. 

While Wanda is gone, Steve gets the blanket and clothes in the washer along with some matching laundry. He starts a cycle just in time for Wanda to return. 

“Oh, what do we have here? Is that a magic wand?” He asks, putting a hand on the girl’s shoulder to guide her back downstairs. Dinner will be ready soon most likely.

“Yeah! For Peter.” T girl says happily. She pulls Steve downstairs with her so they can go find Peter. He is sitting with Tony, who is making dinner and has some Disney songs turned on to entertain him. Wanda waves her magic wand around and asks. “Wanna be Cinderella? I cast a magic spell on you, Peter. But, a good one. Not a bad one.”

While the two Littles converse and giggle, Steve heads over to Tony to whisper in his ear. 

“Wanda had an accident. Again.” He reports simply. The worried frown on his face tells the rest.

“Oh man…” Tony stops what he is doing and sighs. “She must've been pretty upset. Maybe it's time to have her go see Stephen. I could set up her appointment on the same day that Peter has his follow up, since he needs to go soon. What do you think? Maybe he'd feel better knowing his sister is getting a checkup too.” 

“Can we handle them both being upset though? I mean, Pete knows the drill by now, but we might still be unlucky.” Steve points out. Peter has been to see Stephen for follow ups twice already since the doctor wants to keep a close eye on how his arm is healing. So far, there have been no complications.

“That's true.” Tony considers. “Okay, how about you or I take Peter first and then we can take Wanda after? Then we can handle them one at a time. We can space it out by a few hours or so. That should give us time to comfort Peter or get him down for a nap if he gets upset.”

“Yeah, that sounds good.” Steve says, leaning over to kiss Tony’s cheek. “How was the little man today by the way? Did you manage?” He asks with a chuckle.

“He was good. A little fussy in the morning, but we cuddled for a while and he watched his shows. Took a nap and played for the rest of the day. He was really good. He’s been so great through all of this. I think we got the best little boy out there, you know? But, he probably wants to spend some time with you, so I’ll put you on bedtime story duty for the night.”

“Sure thing.” Steve smiles, glancing over his shoulder when he hears the Littles get down from the table and pad to the living room to play. “That reminds me, actually.” Steve says, opening up a cupboard up high where the Littles can’t reach. “The little man needs another dose of his painkillers.” He muses and takes out two pills to crush them into powder and then mix into Peter’s bottle. Stephen had advised them to do that because he thought Peter was too little to swallow the pills.

“Good thinking.” Tony nods in agreement. “I think he said he wanted apple juice if you want to put that in, too. He also needs a bath before bed, but I’ll take care of that. Peter, come here and get your bottle, honey. It’ll take just a second.”

Steve nods and pours the powdered pills into the bottle, then goes to fill it with apple juice. He gives it a good shake. 

“Wha’?” Peter asks, having walked to the kitchen obediently when his name was called. His arm is not in the sling anymore and Steve frowns at the sight. 

“Where’s your sling, bud?” Steve asks, but Peter just shrugs in response. “Peter, where's your sling?” Steve repeats again, keeping his tone firm, but gentle and kind. “I know that it's not fun to keep it on all the time, bud, but you have to if you want your arm to get better. Can you show Daddy where it is?” He wonders if maybe his little boy was in some kind of discomfort with it on, and if maybe the painkillers will help a little. Either way, he is worried that he just took it off.

“No arm get better.” Peter giggles, reaching up for the bottle his Papa is holding. He does not see what the fuss is about and just wants his juice. 

“Pete, show us where your sling is.” Tony chimes in, pointing to the doorway where Peter came from. Peter frowns at his Daddy’s tone and huffs a little before stomping off to point at the living room floor where the sling is.

“Thank you for showing me.” Tony says, taking it from Peter so he can help put it back on him. “Do you want to tell me why you took it off? You know Stephen told you that you have to keep it on. That's the rule.” He knows Peter is little and does not always know better, but a little reminder never hurt. “Do you understand or no?”

“Wan’a took it.” Peter mumbles, but Steve still catches it. He looks over at the little girl who is fiddling with her wand. She is blushing furiously and looks very guilty. 

“Wanda, did you take off Peter’s sling?” Steve asks, coming over and crouching down by the little girl. Wanda crosses her arms and nods, looking down at her feet shamefully. She did not really think about it, but she knew that she really probably was not supposed to take it off without asking, if at all. 

“I...I was trying to-“ She stops and just sighs. “Sorry, Papa.”

“Did you try to help him?” Steve fills in, knowing Wanda is an eager helper. Although, she always does not do the right thing, but both Steve and Tony know that she has got a heart of gold and her intensions are pure. “That’s very sweet of you, babe, but Peter needs the sling and neither of you are allowed to take it off, all right? It helps take the weight off his arm so he can rest and heal.”

“Oh. Okay, Papa.” She mulls it over, trying to understand. “I jus' want him to feel all better.”

Tony finishes putting Peter's arm back in the sling and holds him close. 

“I know you do, but this takes time. Right?” Tony smiles down at Peter. “But, you really need to remember that, Wanda.”

The girl nods and clasps her hands together. 

“Do I gotta have time out?”

“No, not this time since this is just a warning. But, if you do it again, then we’ll put you in time out.” Steve says. It is a rule they have had for a long time, but the two caregivers still have to remind the Littles now and then. 

“Hun’wy, Dada.” Peter whines a little, tapping at Tony’s shoulder.

“Okay, sweetheart. I have dinner ready for you, so let's go eat.” Tony says, picking Peter up and placing him on his hip. “Remember to drink your juice too, it'll make the owies go away. How're you feeling right now?”

“Hun’wy, Dada!” Peter repeats, thinking his Daddy did not hear him the first time. He taps at Tony’s shoulder again, but more impatiently this time. At least he settles a little when he gets put in his high chair and gets a hold of his bottle. 

“Lets get you some dinner as well.” Steve says, guiding Wanda over to the table as well and to her seats where she is sat across from her brother. That way, Steve and Tony can tend to a Little each and help them during mealtimes. Wanda gets on the chair, but sits on her knees and leans across the table closer to her brother. 

“Peter, after let's go play more.” 

“Hold on.” Steve chuckles. “I think our little guy here is gonna need a bath after dinner. What do you think, Peter? That sound good?” He runs a hand through his hair. “You guys can have playtime before bed.”

“Hmm!” Peter nods around the spoonful that Tony is feeding him. The boy usually loves bath time, but with the cast it has become a bit tricky and less exciting. His Daddies put a plastic cover on his arm every time and he cannot put it into the water still, which sucks. But, he can still splash and play with the other hand and he can kick his feet too, even though his Daddies do not like it when he does that.

“Good.” Tony laughs, wiping Peter's face off with a napkin. “But, let's keep the splashing to a minimum.” The two of them are a handful, but they are a handful he and Steve are happy to have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you sm for reading! Comments are very much appreciated c:


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